It’s interesting how some thing change, some things don’t and some just adapt. Much like those in history who have outlived mass extinctions, RECIPROCAL pick up the gauntlet of old Thrash Metal protest songs by the likes of NUCLEAR ASSAULT and SACRED REICH and give them a much more modern and much more serious look. While the songs about all that is wrong with the government and authority (and the unfair nature of life in the modern age) of the days of old had a more comical edge (see “Surf Nicaragua" or“Butt Fuck”) only to later be dismissed by Black Metal as “Life Metal”. RECIPROCALtake the “protest song” (for lack of a more complete description) to new depths. Perhaps this new age of seemingly more serious and insidious problems needed a considerably less naïve approach. Songs like “New American Century”, “Profit Before Protocol”, "Esoteric Agenda”, “Tyrannicide” and the title track, well the titles speak for themselves. Giving new life (or I should say DEATH) to a formerly dismissed form of lyricism. Adding a much more fitting, sinister paranoia for a much more paranoid and fearful world. Formed in 2007, Hollywood, California’s RECIPROCAL are a four piece who on this, their second full length (following 2009’s self titled album) have had “NEW ORDER OF THE AGES” released on CD and digipack by LACERATED ENEMY RECORDS in 2014 after having it digitally released, independently, in 2013. Musically, and I know I say this a lot, WATCHTOWER’s “Energetic Disassembly” is ALL over the place, instrumentally. Before Burt had asked me to do these reviews, it had been a little bit of time since I last indulged in the highly technical edge of brutal Death Metal (usuallyopting for the more simplistic Black / Death Metal end of the spectrum). Considering bands like CYNIC, ATHEIST and DEATH / CONTROLLED DENIED, were fans of the WATCHTOWER style, it really shouldn't surprise me. RECIPROCAL take latter day DEATH and move it to an even more technical range. However the late, great Chuck Schuldiner’s guitar work from “The Sound of Perseverance” is all here with enough arpeggios and blister-inducing solos to make even Yngwie blush. These references to the more extreme end of the technical meter aren't without basis either. Bass player Jeff Hughell is and has played with the likes of VILE, BRAIN DRILL, MUCUS MEMBRANE and RINGS OF SATURN. It's pretty obvious what these guys listen to when they get together and it's reflected in this album’s tight execution, having enough of the more conventional musicality to even keep this reviewer’s aforementioned, less technically-refined musical palate. Absolutely a recommendable feast for fans ofDEATH's 1990s material and those beyond that in the continuum DEATH was headed to when their tenure was tragically cut short. Also a nice post-mortem punch in the head to Euronymous and those who grouped any band not singing about Satanic orthodoxy as “Life Metal”!!!